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Friday, April 16, 2010

The proposed 10-lane Badagry Expressway in Lagos State has attracted the interest of giant construction firms.

Expected to begin at Eric Moore in Surulere and terminate at Badagry, the 60.3 kilometre road would incorporate light rail transport and Bus Rapid Transit facilities.

The response to the state government's call for bids is described as overwhelming, not just because of the number of bids received but also for the pedigree of the companies showing interest in the project.

When the bids were opened last week, 10 companies reportedly indicated interest in either constructing segments of the road or handling the whole project.

Bids for the Eric Moore-Mile 2 segment came from P.W. Nigeria and Key-Based Ventures, while Chinese Construction Engineering Company expressed interest in the Mile 2-Agbara-Badagry portion, the same stretch that attracted bids from CGGC Global Project Nigeria and Lekon Engineering Service Limited.

The Badagry Expressway project is conceived as a public-private partnership (PPP), and is seen as potentially proffering solution to Lagos State's massive infrastructural challenges.

The consortium combines local know-how with international reach, and includes lead contractors, financiers and supervising engineers.

The lead contractors are Ugur BAS, a Nigerian construction company with affiliation to Turkey, and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a company that is ranked among the top ten civil engineering contractors worldwide.

Determined to provide an efficient transportation system for Lagos residents, the state government has awarded a contract for the first phase of the Blue Line Light Rail Project to a Chinese construction firm, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

The government has already paid N8.05 billion, representing 70 per cent of the contract sum to the Chinese company, to design and build the 27 kilometre project expected to run from Okokomaiko to Marina.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), disclosed this on Tuesday while delivering a key note address at an annual lecture put together by Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors.

The theme of this year’s lecture was: The prospect of infrastructural development in Nigeria-Using the Lagos Light Rail as a case Study.”

Fashola, who was represented by the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority, Mr. Dayo Mabereola, revealed that the challenge of providing efficient transportation for the over 18 million residents of the state was one of the cardinal objectives of his administration when it came to power in May 2007.

He said, “Early in the life of our administration, we realised the need to explore the prospect of developing other modes of transportation other than road to enable us provide a means of moving large number of commuters within the state.

The Blue Line will run 27km from Okokomaiko to Marina, one of the most densely travelled corridors in Lagos. The rail infrastructure is being developed in conjunction with the Badagry Expressway project, a proposed toll road running from Lagos to Badagry. The Blue Line will run on an exclusive 15 metre right of way in the middle of the expressway.

In total there will be thirteen stations, three which will be shared with the Red Line system. The stations will be located above the tracks, with large pedestrian walkways crossing the expressway. Large, concrete barriers will be placed between the rail lines and the expressway to ensure no external factors will disrupt service. The Blue Line system will require the construction of two bridges. The larger of the two, to be shared with the Red Line, will connect the mainland with the island. The second bridge will be across the river at Mile 2.

The fixed assets, including construction of the alignment, bridges, and stations, will be wholly funded by the Lagos State Government. A concessionaire is currently being sought to procure and finance rolling stock and depot facilities, as well as provide operations and maintenance over a 25 year period. The concessionaire will be compensated through passenger revenues as well as revenues earned from retail activities within stations.

The Red Line rail system is being developed on North-South axis through some of the most densely populated areas in Lagos. Beginning on the island, the Red Line will run north to Agbado through a total of 13 stations. From the Marina to Iddo stations, the Red Line will share the alignment with the Blue Line. The shared infrastructure in these portions will be constructed as part of the Red Line project. From Agbado to Iddo, the Red Line with utilize the existing Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) corridor.

Construction has begun on InterContinental Lagos, InterContinental Hotels Group’s first property in Nigeria. The owning company, the Milan Group, is spending approximately $80 million on the prestigious project, which is set to be the tallest hotel in the country at 100 metres high.

The development, which is centrally located on Victoria Island, will cater for a steadily increasing number of business travellers arriving in Nigeria, as the country goes through a period of renewed investment in its infrastructure.

The development is a clear reflection of InterContinental Hotel Group’s confidence in the city, which is seen as a thriving commercial hub of Nigeria. Surrounded by creeks, lagoons and rivers, Lagos has undergone substantial development and has steadily witnessed a vast expansion of local industries.

In 1999 the United Nations predicted that the city's metropolitan area, which had only 290,000 inhabitants in 1950, would exceed 20 million by 2010. The new government is therefore focused on increasing investment in the city’s infrastructure to support this growth. International help came from the World Bank in 2006 when it granted US$200 million for the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project, aimed at improving urban areas.

Inbound travel is also on the increase with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) predicting that Nigeria's travel and tourism will grow 1.6% in 2007 and by 2.0% per annum, in real terms, between 2008 and 2017.

InterContinental Lagos will feature 230 Standard Rooms, each measuring 42 square meters, 87 Club Rooms, 31 Bay Suites, one Junior and one Presidential Suite. Food and beverage options include an all day dining restaurant with a view of a seven metre high waterfall, a 116-seater lobby bar, two speciality restaurants and a Garden Café.

A full health club including steam and sauna rooms, as well as a 22 metre swimming pool will allow guests to indulge in a state-of-the-art relaxation programme. Water sports and beach activities for both adults and children will be provided, offering guests the opportunity to take full advantage of Victoria Island’s beaches.

Top-of-the-range business facilities include IP telephony, wired and wireless connectivity throughout the hotel, and a 1300 square metre meeting room with seating capacity of 870. Board Room and Business Centre are available to guests along with five meeting rooms spread over 400 square meters.

IHG’s entrance into the Nigerian market will further strengthen its position within Africa, with two already existing InterContinental properties and current plans to open 10 hotels across the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn brands by the end of 2010.

The vision for Pinnacle Point Lagos Keys is pure luxury where unrivalled sophistication meets unparalleled decadence and old world opulence embraces modern expectations. Pinnacle Point Group will once again redefine the meaning of Luxury Living as Lagos Keys becomes a luxury leisure destination of choice for Africa’s chic jet set society and is well positioned to rival any global luxury residential and leisure resort.

Pinnacle Point Lagos Keys is a truly visionary concept that will break ground in Lagos, West Nigeria in the first quarter of 2010. The area is set on 4 kilometres of sand keys adjacent to Lagos City on the Atlantic seaboard, on the southwest mouth of the Lagos lagoon, in a subtropical haven of lush vegetation and savannahs.

The Lagos Keys project is a joint venture partnership between Pinnacle Point Group and Red Earth Group a prominent Nigerian investment company with significant subsidiaries and partners including property development, communications, oil and gas, automotive, engineering and bilateral intercontinental business facilitation.

LOCATION

Situated on the very indent of the “bulge of Africa” and the former capital of Nigeria, Lagos is a massive metropolis that extends northwards from its coastal position on the Gulf of Guinea. The high level of rainfall in this part of West Africa means rivers flowing to the Atlantic Ocean often form placid lagoons, prevented from joining the sea because of long sand bars of land.

It is on such a strip of land that Pinnacle Point Lagos Keys will be developed. Bordered on the one side by the Badagry Creek (flowing parallel to the sea alongside the sand bar) and on the other by the warm currents of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, this prime location is set to enhance the extravagance of the Pinnacle Point Lagos Keys development.

Incorporating two marinas for both the Golf Resort and the Leisure Resort, Pinnacle Point Lagos Keys has been designed to make full use of its idyllic setting.